Best caravan under £15,000 2022

Everyone loves a bargain, and no more so than when buying a caravan. While you need to have realistic expectations at budget end of the market, we are here to help you pick out the best caravan under £15,000.

Our expert judging panel have used our decades of caravan experience to pick out the winner for the Practical Caravan Awards 2022, as well as the best caravans under £15,000 that made our shortlist, and the standout recommendations from recent years.

The winner of the best caravan under £15,000 is…

Weinsberg Caracito 390QD

• Price: £13,710
• MTPLM: 1100 kg
• MiRO: 830kg

There’s a lot to like about the Caracito that makes it our winner of the best caravan under £15,000. Not only is it keenly priced for a younger market (although older buyers on the hunt for a budget van should still keep it firmly in their plans), it’s also well-specced and can run entirely on electricity.

So what do you get for your money? In the UK only one layout is currently available, the 390QD, which offers a transverse bed across the front and rear corner dinette that makes up into another double. Inside you’ll find handle-free overhead locker doors, light-wood furniture and brown, blue or grey upholstery.

The kitchen offers a smart 230V glass ceramic hob, a 60-litre compressor fridge, and a combined heating and air-con system. All in all, a great buy at a good price.

Also on the shortlist for the best caravan under £15,000 are…

Camperlands Campmaster LC1

• Price: £8,150
• Berths: 2
• MiRO: 387kg
• MTPLM: 750kg
• Shipping length: 3.68m

Reasons to buy:

• Narrow
• Solid construction

Reasons to avoid:

• Small space without the awning

A caravan that’s not only light in weight but also light on the pocket, the Campmaster LC1 will cost you just over £8,000. Its micro-proportions make storage easy and it also packs a punch with its specially designed inflatable awning effortlessly doubling its size.

The living space is more akin to a cabin than a lounge, but two memory foam backrests can be found against the back wall. Two large windows and a roof vent ensure it’s a well-lit internal space. To enhance the living area, you get a poled canopy with the LC1, which offers enough room to fit in a couple of chairs and a table.

We found the bed comfortable – at over 6ft, it’s a good size, and takes up the caravan’s full width.

Review: Camperlands Campmaster

Go-Pod Platinum

• Price: £14,795
• Berths: 2
• MiRO: 490kg
• MTPLM: 750kg
• Shipping Length: 4.20m

Reasons to buy:

• Excellent storage

Reasons to avoid:

• No rear grab handles
• No washroom

This micro-tourer has gained a loyal following since it first entered the UK market in 2005. Offering a GRP leak-proof shell, it boasts a compact kitchen and either two singles or a double bed, making it practical and well-equipped.

A small but comfortable lounge is provided – ideal for stretching out in and watching TV. The table ensures you get plenty of legroom, while the memory foam seating provides good support. An adequate front window is on offer, although we’d like to have seen one that stretches to the roofline, while adjustable LED lighting is also provided.

We were really impressed by what is fitted into the Go-Pod’s kitchen. While you don’t get a drainer with it, we like the presence of the combined stainless-steel sink and two-burner hob. There’s a glass cover for the hob and sink too, which combines to add some valuable worktop. We like the decision to opt for a light-grey woodgrain, as we think it helps to create a feeling of space too.

The bed is simple to make up, with a roll-out slatted base going in the gap between settees. This is nearly 6ft 5in, although you also have the option of two single beds.

While there isn’t a washroom in the Go-Pod, you do at least get a manual-flush portable toilet – this would be for use in the supplied awning.

We also like the storage provided. This includes the base of the front seat, which is a useful spot for bedding to go, while good cupboard space is available in the kitchen.

Something we would like to see are two rear grab handles, although you do get two at the front of the van.

Review: Go-Pod Platinum

Hobby Beachy 420

• Price: £TBC
• Berths: 2
• MiRO: TBC
• MTPLM: TBC
• Shipping length: TBC

Hobby’s trend-setting ‘Beachy’ model – now not due in the UK until next season – offers a very contemporary interior based on a beach hut concept. Comfortably sleeping two, the 420 offers generous shelf and cupboard storage.

T@B 320RS

• Price: £12,330
• Berths: 2
• MiRO: 620kg
• MTPLM: 800kg
• Shipping length: 5.17m

T@B is best known for its tear drop designs and the entry-level 320 is a very affordable model. Its simplistic interior provides decent storage, while the easy-to-convert double bed and robust build make it a good choice.

We also recommend the following caravans under £15,000 from recent years

There are some great caravans from recent years on the market for under £15,000 – we’re rounding up our pick of the bunch here.

Xplore 304 SE 2019

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £14,763
• Berth 4
• MTPLM 1043kg
• Shipping length 5.54m
• Width 2.18m

This compact four-berth tourer has been a popular in the entry-level sector. The 2019 revamp, which is on an Al-Ko chassis with SE pack alloys, spare wheel, wheel lock receiver and AKS hitch, is easy to tow and pitch up.

The L-shaped lounge has a relaxed and spacious feel and a panoramic window at the front of the van allows in plenty of light.

It’s a well-equipped kitchen for a small tourer, with its own side window and overhead storage. There’s no microwave, but you do get a neat oven and a three-burner gas hob. The black enamel sink has a clip-on drainer. The compact washroom looks a little cramped, but it’s practical and large enough to shower in.

Seating in the L-shaped lounge can be made up into a double bed or used as a single. To make the double is easy enough, using an extending frame and the settee cushions. If you need the other berths, the offside dinette makes up a single bed and there is also a fold-up bunk.

BUY IF… you plan to use it mainly as a two berth but with the occasional break with the grandchildren

PROs: 
Easy to tow
Great lounge seating

CONs:
Small side window in single dinette

Read more in our Xplore 304 SE caravan review

Xplore 422 2018

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £14,249
• Berth 2
• MTPLM 1099kg
• Shipping length 5.88m
• Width 2.18m

Launched in 2018, this couples tourer comes with an L-shaped end-kitchen layout. On an Al-Ko chassis, the Xplore has an AKS hitch and its bodyshell uses SoLiD ‘glued not screwed’ construction, with a GRP protective skin on the floor.

The 422 has a large front lounge, which is bright and airy, and although no sunroof is fitted or offered as an option, the large windows and Midi Heki allow in a good amount of natural light.

The L-shaped end kitchen has brilliant storage and plenty of worksurface, too. The sink has a clip-on drainer and a glass top, while next to it is the three-burner gas hob. It comes with a combined oven/grill.

The washroom is in the offside rear corner and has a good size fully lined shower.

Two seats can be used as single beds if you are not too tall, but most users will probably prefer to make up the 6ft 6in x 5ft 1in double.

BUY IF… you want a lightweight caravan with an upmarket layout

PROs:
Both the kitchen and washroom are great
Storage is excellent

CONs:
No microwave as standard

Read more in our Xplore 422 caravan review

Moto-Trek Trek-Away 2019

STAR RATING – 3.5 out of 5

• Price £9600
• Berth 2
• MTPLM 750kg
• Shipping length 4.1m
• Width 1.9m

This South Yorkshire firm made its name manufacturing horse trailers, then branched out into motorhomes. Now it’s launching a compact caravan.

The Trek-Away should appeal to those who might tour on their own, because it is super-lightweight, at just 750kg. And, at just 4.10m long, you could stow it away quite easily on even an average-size driveway.

The sofa straddles the front of the van and although neither the front nor the side windows are generous, but you do get two spotlights and an LED placed centrally in the ceiling. The kitchen stretches across the rear of the van, opposite the sofa. For a small caravan, it has a surprisingly large amount of workspace, thanks to it being L-shaped. You get a two-burner gas hob combined with a sizeable sink, while a Vitrifigo fridge is included in the Excel pack.

Much of what you can see here in the corner washroom is only included in the Excel version (the electric flushing toilet) or as an optional extra (the handbasin and vanity unit). Without these, this would in effect be just a large storage cupboard or changing room. But with these, the washroom isn’t too bad at all.

Our test model featured two bunk beds, which you make out of the sofa and the cushion over the front locker. An alternative is to have a double bed that slides out on a platform from under the base cushion.

BUY IF… you want an easily manoeuvrable lightweight caravan

PROs:
Good interior
Excellent storage

CONs:
Bunk design is a bit weak

Read more in our Moto-Trek Trek-Away caravan review

Adria Altea 362LH Forth 2017

STAR RATING – 3.5 out of 5

• Price £13,750
• Berth 4
• MTPLM 1200
• Shipping length 5.69m
• Width 2.3m

This compact starter model was given a makeover with this model in 2017 but still retained its style, layout and low weight.

A good starter van for those who are just joining our ranks, towing this little family caravan is easy, especially with the aid of the AKS stabiliser and shock absorbers.

And the simple layout makes for a great social space: while someone is cooking in the rear, they can still get involved in any conversation in the lounge. The compact kitchen at the rear of the Altea 362LH Forth has everything you could need: a three-burner gas hob, a combined oven and grill, a 90-litre fridge and a microwave. The washroom’s compact design makes great use of the tiny space available, with a fold-down sink, although this detail could become tiresome.

The lounge becomes a giant sleeping space when you slide out the bases from each side and slot the cushions in place. The main bed sleeps two or three, and a fourth can sleep on a fold-out bunk on the nearside which is secured with good, solid bolts when not in use.

BUY IF… you’re looking to buy a touring caravan for the first time

PROs:
Lightweight and compact
Flexible layout

CONs:
Limited storage

Read more in our Adria Altea 362LH Forth caravan review

Bailey Pursuit 400-2 2017

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £14,599
• Berth 2
• MTPLM 1090kg
• Shipping length 5.45m
• Width 2.24m

In 2017, Bailey dispensed almost entirely with option packs, aiming for one clear cost, with many items that were previously considered optional extras fitted as standard. As you might expect, that added to the price of the range, but the the two-berth 400-2 remained excellent value and had a generous standard spec levels.

The extras fitted as standard don’t fall short in the kitchen. Along with a three-burner hob, 103-litre Dometic fridge and Thetford Triplex oven and grill as before, 2017 Bailey Pursuits now come with an 800kW microwave.

The large end washroom in this Bailey Pursuit 400-2 could just about fit two people at once and features a nearside separate shower cubicle that is a good size.

The Ozio fibre mattresses make for two flat and comfy singles, and an even better double, which is easy to assemble thanks to slats that pull out from a central locker in the front.

BUY IF… you’re looking for a good spec at a good price

PROs:
Excellent level of specification
Modern, bright and comfortable furnishings

CONs:
Storage is limited

Read more in our Bailey Pursuit 400-2 caravan review

Caravelair Antarès 335 2017

STAR RATING – 4 out of 5

• Price £11,995
• Berth 2
• MTPLM 1000
• Shipping length 5m
• Width 2.1m

The two-berth Caravelair Antarès 335 has a MiRO of just 726kg, which should appeal to first-time buyers as there will be no need for them to upgrade their tow car.

It’s an entry-level van, which even with only three metres of internal length to play with has a settee on the side where the door is to extend beyond the clip-on table, allowing you enough room to stretch your legs.

There’s a Thetford Duplex combination oven and grill in the kitchen, and a stainless-steel unit housing a three-burner gas hob and a sink, both with glass covers

Washroom facilities are basic, the basin tap doubles as a shower but the bench-style toilet takes up a fair amount of space.

You can easily make a double bed that is 120cm wide by folding down the table and swapping around the seat cushions. Or, the caravan comes with a couple of boards you can place between these two seats to make a longer bed that varies in width from 172cm to 204cm.

BUY IF…  you’re a couple that want to get away in your own modest car

PROs:
It’s light
We like the stable door

CONs:
Basic finish
Habitation door on the UK offside

Read more in our Caravelair Antarès 335 caravan review

• Prices correct at time of original reviews are subject to change

Not found what you want or would like to see some more options – take a look at Best caravans under £20,000 and Best caravans under £30,000 and more. Alternatively we also look at the best caravan on the market in 2022.

Or what about a motorhome? Check out some of these options Best motorhomes under £60,000, Best motorhomes under £80,000, Best motorhomes over £80,000 and more

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